A Call to Courage in Apologetics

By: T. J. Gentry, Ph.D., D.Min., Ph.D. Candidate | February 20, 2022

In chapter ten of C. S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian, Lucy awakes to the sound of Aslan’s voice as she and her companions rest on their journey from Cair Paravel to join Caspian’s army in the battle against King Miraz. Strangely, she is the only one who hears the great Lion’s voice. Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Trumpkin the Elf remain asleep, but Lucy cannot ignore the call of Aslan. She rises and follows the sound, eventually coming to a clearing in the woods to find Aslan there. She is overjoyed as she embraces him and would like nothing better than to stay, but Aslan urges her to go back and tell the others.

“If you go back to the others now, and wake them up; and tell them you have seen me again; and that you must all get up at once and follow me – what will happen? There is only one way of finding out.”

“Do you mean that is what you want me to do?” gasped Lucy.

“Yes, little one,” said Aslan.

“Will the others see you too?” asked Lucy.

“Certainly not at first,” said Aslan. “Later on, it depends.”

“But they won’t believe me!” said Lucy.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Aslan…

Lucy buried her head in his mane to hide from his face. But there must have been magic in his mane. She could feel lion-strength going into her. Quite suddenly she sat up.

“I’m sorry, Aslan,” she said. “I’m ready now.”

“Now you are a lioness,” said Aslan. “And now all Narnia will be renewed. But come. We have no time to lose.”

He got up and walked with stately, noiseless paces back to the belt of dancing trees through which she had just come: and Lucy went with him, laying a rather tremulous hand on his mane. The trees parted to let them through and for one second assumed their human forms completely. Lucy had a glimpse of tall and lovely wood-gods and wood-goddesses all bowing to the Lion; next moment they were trees again, but still bowing, with such graceful sweeps of branch and trunk that their bowing was itself a kind of dance.

“Now, child,” said Aslan, when they had left the trees behind them, “I will wait here. Go and wake the others and tell them to follow. If they will not, then you at least must follow me alone.”

It is a terrible thing to have to wake four people, all older than yourself and all very tired, for the purpose of telling them something they probably won’t believe and making them do something they certainly won’t like.

“I mustn’t think about it, I must just do it,” thought Lucy.[1]

Courageous Calling

I think this encounter between Lucy and Aslan presents a beautiful and compelling insight into the demand in our day for courageous apologists. First, consider the call of Aslan. Lucy heard it even when the others didn’t. Try as she could, Lucy could not evade the sound of Aslan calling to her. She finally yielded to the call and left the comfort of her place of rest. In doing so she stepped forward in faith and was rewarded with a precious encounter with Aslan. Apologists, we are Lucy. We cannot deny that we hear the wings of faith and reason move up and down, fluttering and flapping, beating against the winds of darkness as they bid us rise in defense of the gospel. Like Lucy, we have been called by a voice that not all hear, but we cannot deny that we have heard it.

Courageous Mission

Second, we have a mission. Lucy was surprised to learn that Aslan’s call was not only for her benefit, though she certainly did have immense joy in Aslan’s presence. Still, Lucy heard Aslan’s voice because he had an urgent mission for her. He was sending her back to tell the others that “now all Narnia will be renewed.” Lucy’s encounter with Aslan was a missionary encounter, with the result that having heard his voice she now received her mission.

Apologists, we also have a mission. Yes, we have a mission to reach the world with the reasonable gospel of Jesus Christ. Before that we must go to the church and tell them of our Lord’s message to them to join us in our defense of the faith. Everyone is called to be an apologist, and we have a mission to go back to those believers who have drifted into a dangerous slumber that leaves them unaware of the urgency of the hour and the desperate need for all Christians to awake and stand within the ranks of disciple-apologists for our King.

Courageous Defense

Third, just as Lucy was aware that Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Trumpkin would not believe her about having seen Aslan, so we should be aware that not all in the church today here what we hear. Not all understand that we are in an age where simple answers and untried claims are unhelpful and unwelcome, even deadly. Sadly, there is a growing dissonance within Christian circles between the need to be relevant and the importance of apologetics, as though the two were unrelated. What is true is that relevance requires apologetics and apologetics is always relevant. Still, not all hear the call of Scripture to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”[2] Like Lucy’s co-laborers, those we worship and serve with can be deaf to the sound of God’s command to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you.”[3]

Courageous Commitment

Fourth, we must have courage. Lucy finally relented and accepted Aslan’s mission for her though it would be difficult and might fail. “‘I mustn’t think about it, I must just do it,’ thought Lucy.” Such courage. Such commitment. Such resolve. Apologists, follow her lead and have courage. Yes, “it is a terrible thing to have to wake…people…for the purpose of telling them something they probably won’t believe and making them do something they certainly won’t like.” Resistance to apologetics in our family may be strong but Aslan’s call is stronger. We must have the courage. Aslan is on the move, and he calls us to move with him. Courage, friends! We must just do it.

About the Author

T. J. is a pastor, author, theologian, and apologist, with graduate degrees in Apologetics, Chaplaincy, Church Ministries, Philosophy, and Theology; and doctoral degrees in Biblical Studies, Leadership, and Pastoral Counseling. He became a Christian in 1978, was called into ministry that same year, and began preaching in 1984. T. J. has served as a youth pastor, evangelist, church planter, Christian school teacher and administrator, Army chaplain, pastoral counselor, and senior pastor. His ongoing writing work includes several published books and articles, and he currently serves as Sr. Minister at First Christian Church and Headmaster at Compass Christian Academy, both in West Frankfort, IL. In addition to his duties as Bellator Christi’s Executive Vice-President, T. J. is also Executive Editor at MoralApologetics.com and an adjunct professor at Carolina University’s Piedmont Divinity School. His areas of specialization include preaching and Bible teaching theory and practice, applied moral apologetics, Thomistic philosophy from an evangelical perspective, religious epistemology focused on passional reason, leadership theory and practice, and pastoral counseling drawn from a solution-focused brief therapy modality. He holds board certification as a chaplain and pastoral counselor and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, Evangelical Philosophical Society, Society for Christian Philosophers, Evangelical Homiletics Society, International Society of Christian Apologetics, Association of Certified Christian Chaplains, and the Evangelical Missiological Society. T. J. and his wife, Amy, are blessed with five children.